What to Know
- DeSantis said the state is currently in the bottom half of states in terms of minimum pay for teachers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will ask the Legislature to increase the minimum starting salary for public school teachers to $47,500 a year.
DeSantis made his announcement in Clay County on Monday, where he said the average teacher starting salary is just under $39,000 a year. He said about 100,000 teachers statewide would receive a raise under the proposal.
“With a strong economy and plenty of jobs available in other fields, unfortunately too many college graduates are unwilling to enter the teaching profession," DeSantis said in a statement. "This is long overdue, and I look forward to working with the legislature to make this a reality.”
DeSantis said the state is currently in the bottom half of states in terms of minimum pay for teachers. If approved, he said it would put Florida in the top five nationally
The governor, scheduled to speak at a school in Hollywood later in the day, doesn't have to release his full budget proposal until December. He said the teacher salary proposal would cost $603 million, and said it is "easily doable."
